Xena Scroll I
by elphochan7
Summary: The story as told by our favorite little bard, Gabrielle.
1. Chapter 1

The Xena Scrolls

Scroll I – Chapter i – Sins of the Past

"It was a warm day in Potidaea when the bard awoke," I began. I desperately wanted to write a story; but it was laundry day, and so unfortunately there was no time to dawdle with myths, legends, and lore. Feeling uninspired despite my itch to create, I abandoned the first sentence of my would-be tale and joined my fellow village women down by the river. Once a week, all of the women in my village gather by the river to do the wash. And being a woman, I too had been charged with robes and dresses all morning long. By noon my arms ached and my hands were slippery with soapy suds. At last I dropped my rag and turned next to me to Seraphin. She had paused her work to watch me make a fool of myself trying to organize the clean wet clothes into piles.

"Why?" I cried, seeing her amused expression. "Why must the women do the laundry? As if men were totally incapable!"

Seraphin was short, like me, and fair-skinned. Her long golden hair hung in messy braids down to her waist. "They're not the only ones," was all she said, glancing at my sloppy piles.

"I'm the exception," I protested. "I'm no good with petty chores. I'm an actress. A poet!"

"A diva sounds more accurate to me," Seraphin chuckled.

"Oh what do you know?" I muttered. "Any of the people in town can see that I just don't fit in. It's been like that for years."

"You don't fit in because you're incapable of doing laundry?" she smirked. I glared at her and continued to sort the clothes by article. I passed the excruciatingly monotonous seconds by reciting my favorite poem by Sappho to an equally bored Seraphin:

"Deathless Aphrodite on your lavish throne,  
Enchantress, daughter of Zeus: I beg you, queen,  
Do not overpower my soul with heartaches  
and hard troubles,  
But come here, if ever at another time  
Having heard my voice you paid me attention  
And leaving the golden house of your father  
you came to me,  
Yoking your horse and chariot: gorgeous swift  
Sparrows carried you over the coal-black earth,  
Thickly whirling their feathers through the midst of  
heaven's ether.  
Swiftly they arrived, and you, O blessed one,  
Smiling with your immortal face, you asked for  
What I suffered, and why again I call you  
And what in my maddened soul I desire most  
To happen to me: what dearest one shall I now  
Persuade to lead you back to her — who, O Sappho,  
wronged you this time?  
For even if she flees, swiftly she will pursue;  
And if she does not receive my gifts, she will give;  
And if she does not love me, swiftly she will love,  
Even against her will."

"So come to my aid now, release me from my grievous cares, fulfill as much  
as my heart yearns to be fulfilled: come, be my fellow-fighter," Seraphin finished for me in quite possibly the most overly dramatic tone I had ever heard. "I already know this poem Gabrielle." She groaned. "You've recited it to me sixteen times. I counted."

I shrugged simply, too satisfied with my own abilities to care about how many times she'd heard it. I found that I told this poem differently each and every time. Though the words never change, my attitude and intent in reciting them changes more than frequently. That's what I love about storytelling. The message can come across to someone in so many different ways. One just needs to be open to hearing it.

"Why don't you learn a new poem?" Seraphin dully requested.

"Poems are difficult to come by these days," I glumly admitted. "At least for me."

"Then why don't you write one?" she asked, "You're the village poet, after all. If you want people to listen to you, you've got to hold their interest. And I can tell you now," she added, "everyone's sick of those Sappho poems."

Sick? Of Sappho? This was news. "Ok then" I challenged, "Tell me what you want to hear, Seraphin."

She paused for a moment in surprise. "Me? But, but why?"

"Well you're my main audience. I might as well start taking requests." I said.

"Um…ok then." She trailed off. "How about you write a story about me?"

"Wow." I said, shaking my head.

"You wanted a request, so here it is." She said matter-of-factly. "I would love to hear your story about my life. I know you have one. I've known you since we were five. Go ahead, tell it."

Admittedly, I admired her enthusiasm. "Alright," I gave in, "Listen to my story about Seraphin. Young woman, strong and thin. Golden hair, such a fair young thing. Her keen interest makes me want to…to…"

"Sing?" Seraphin collapsed in a fit of laughter on the ground. At first I was mildly offended, but then I realized how ridiculous my attempt at poetry had sounded. I burst out laughing a second later, pleased that I had amused her so much. As the laughter died down, I started to become aware of some sort of commotion stemming from across the river. Initially, I thought this to be an illusion. The countryside across the river was never occupied. Yet now it most definitely was, but I couldn't see by what. "Do you see that?" I asked pointing across the river to show Seraphin.

"See what?" Good question. "There." I said thrusting my index finger once again to the direction of my concern. She peered beyond my extended finger. In the far distance, beyond the large hill, I could make out the figures of men marching swiftly toward us on horseback. I could see in Seraphin's curious expression that she saw them too. "Who are they?" she asked. I could not answer her because I hadn't the faintest idea.

"How on earth did they happen across Potidaea?" I thought aloud. Our small village was only home to the familiar, and by familiar I mean the families who have lived here for generations. The only foreigner I had ever met in the entirety of my young life was a traveling bard when I was fourteen. The coming of a bard into Potidaea was as rare and special as an eclipse. We hardly ever held community banquets, and his unique form of entertainment called for quite a celebration.

The bard, who's name was Alexander, was extraordinarily eccentric, and he spoke with an odd accent, but no one could disagree; he was devastatingly romantic. Ever since we crossed paths, I fashioned becoming a bard myself. I was inspired by the clever way in which he was able to lure in his audience with fantastic tales of tragic heroes and epic battles. After enduring what seemed like hours of my tireless begging, he agreed to give me lessons. I studied with him for thirty days while he stayed as a guest in my home.

My parents loved having him around because they saw the positive influence he had on my education. Though it was rare for any girl in my village to read, they went to the local shop and purchased as many scrolls as they could afford for me in order to help further my learning experience. I devoured the scrolls and learned each of them by heart. As far as parents go, mine were not always so supportive. I was grateful to them for providing for my education, housing my instructor, and coming to see all of my much anticipated performances.

My teacher gave me terrific feedback on my work. Not only that, but he was kindhearted and patient. He told me that I had incredible potential as a bard and suggested that I apply to the Athens Academy for the Performing Bards upon reaching the age of eighteen. He would have loved to stay and teach me longer, but he had to move on and make a living. So he left Potidaea to travel on to the next little town. I missed him terribly after that, but for the first time in my life I felt encouraged. I gave myself a pledge that when I turned eighteen, I would apply for schooling.

But many winters had passed since Alexander's departure. I was now nineteen and a half years old, and yet I continued to reside in Potidaea, inexperienced and uneducated. To add to my despair, on the eve of my nineteenth birthday my parents decided to set up an engagement between me and my childhood friend, Perdicas. He and I had been close friends since we were pre-adolescents, and we had a feeling that sooner or later our parents would agree on arranging a marriage for the two of us. As joyful as I was that Perdicas had been chosen for me, my soul yearned to experience what life would have been like on my own, away from home, at school, where I would make new friends and meet challenges no one here would even dream of. I could have been a scholar, an actress, a bard. I could have discovered my true purpose in life. But those dreams had begun to fade, until the day I saw those men on horseback riding my way from across the river.

_Perhaps_, I thought_, the figures are a group of actors or better yet, a band of bards. If so, then they might be able to offer me an application to attend the academy! _Then my parents would surely call off the engagement and I could live my dream at last! My excitement got the better of me. "I'm going to go get a better look," I announced with eager enthusiasm.

"Wait!" Seraphin tugged my shoulder just before I could stand, "They don't seem friendly, Gabrielle. Don't you see? They're armed." Armed? Scanning one of the men closely, I detected a sword hanging from his belt. Then I observed that all of them had a sharp implement of some kind hanging from their belts. Perhaps then, if not actors or bards, they were warriors. Though I was disappointed that they were not who I had initially hoped, I was thrilled as well. I had never seen a real warrior before. Warriors were figures from myths in my world, powerful and wicked, trained to kill…

"Let's get away from here," Seraphin urged me. "I don't want us to cause any trouble with them." I nodded in agreement, despite my growing curiosity. As a little girl I had been taught that warriors were dangerous and that I should always do my best to avoid coming in contact with them. I usually shrugged off these warnings because, since no one ever came to visit Potidaea, I had no reason to worry. But I worried then as I rushed to collect my laundry. Seraphin and I constantly checked across the river to make sure that the warriors were not drawing any nearer, or worse, drawing their weapons. We were relieved to see that no daggers were raised, but they were getting much closer.

Seraphin warned some of the other women doing their laundry that a troop of threatening warriors were quickly approaching and that we needed to flee to our homes immediately. Then I proceeded to help her load the damp clothing into baskets. By this time the other women had already completed this chore and were hurriedly returning to their homes to inform their families of the potential danger. Seraphin and I had just finished loading the laundry, and we started back for the village with our baskets when blood-curdling screams caused us each to look back in horror. I saw that the warriors had arrived at the riverbank, dismounted their horses, and with ropes and chains they were beginning to capture the remaining women! Shock and surprise welled over me and I froze wanting to run, but my legs wouldn't perform what my mind pleaded of them.

In a desperate attempt to escape the warriors, many of the women were crossing the river to the other side. I, however, saw that the men were purposefully frightening them into crossing, away from the safety of our village. It was then that I realized that these men were much worse than even warriors. What could warriors want with a bunch of village girls and housewives? No, they were not warriors, but slavers intending to sell us all into servitude. All at once I felt the warmth drain from my face. I was about to lose everything.

Panicking, I scoured the area for my family. When I saw that my mother, Hecuba, and younger sister, Lila, were among the women who were being herded to the other side of the river, I called to them and dropped the load of laundry that I was carrying. My adrenaline kicked in and I was able to run for them when Seraphin called me back. "Gabrielle! Wait! Don't risk your life!" It was as if my life no longer mattered. All that I could think about was that I could not allow my mother and sister to be taken away with out me.

Once I had crossed the river and caught up to mother and Lila, I tried leading them back across towards our village, but it was no use. Slavers were closing in from that direction and we had no option, but to turn the opposite way. I clung to Lila's wrist so as not to lose her amongst the stampede as we ran for our lives. After a while the ground ascended abruptly, forcing every one of us to scramble on our hands and knees up a forested incline. Tired and out of breath, I caught a glimpse of the slavers, who were not far behind us, and this gave me incentive to keep moving. At the apex the woods broke off before a clearing. Once across the clearing we could run no more. We had been driven to a dead end by those ruthless slavers and there was no one around to help us, not even the village men, who at the words of the others had rushed in with rakes, hoes, and shovels to try and protect us. We were doomed to serve warlords for the rest of our miserable lives.

I realized, then, how grateful I was for the simple chore of washing clothing by the river once a week with my friends and family. Sure, laundry wasn't nearly as exciting or fulfilling as storytelling, but at least it was familiar, comforting, and productive. And who said I couldn't tell stories _while_ washing my clothes? I'm sure that I would have felt like less of a slave if I had told stories to entertain the other women. But there I was in the middle of the woods, facing a lifetime of real servitude. Weekly laundry could not have been more appealing to me than at that very moment. Oh how I regretted taking it for granted…

The head of the soldiers stepped forward to address the cowering citizens of my hometown. I could tell that he was their leader because he was clad in more fanciful armor than the rest of them. A gargantuan black helmet sat atop his great bald head, which gave me the illusion that he actually had hair. His giant shoulders were strapped under gleaming pads of black metal, and he wore a blue arm band while the others wore nothing of significance at their arms. "Okay, we can do this one of two ways." he proposed to the village men, who stood in two groups stationed at either side of us. "You can let us have the girls and go back to those hovels you call home, or, we can hack you all into little pieces and take the girls anyway." Laughter issued from the rest of the soldiers at his words of jest.

All at once my fear of this man was replaced by anger and loathing. How dare he unleash havoc amongst our peaceful little village? I wanted to give him a piece of my mind, but I knew that doing so would get us into deeper trouble. Instead, I had a better idea. Perhaps he would spare my friends and family if I offered myself in their place. Then fear started to creep back into me as I realized what I had to do, but I would not let that stop me. I took one last look at my mother and sister, and let go of Lila to step forward. Gasps sounded amongst the villagers at my bold gesture, and I heard Lila call my name, but I was too focused on my task to respond. I looked straight into the eyes of our captor and said with forced confidence, "Take me! Let the others go!"

"Nice try!" he jeered looking down on me as a mere child, "But we'll take you, and anybody else we want!"

There had never been words more discouraging. I could not save my family from this terrible fate, and I was made to look like a foolish little girl in front of my entire village, but I realized then that I was no longer afraid to challenge the man. When the scumbag made to push me back towards the others, I instinctively knocked his hand away. My family gasped. He, however, seemed unmoved by my pitiful act of rebellion. "It's never too early to start training a slave girl," he sneered. Someone handed him a whip and at this I slowly started to back away.

It had begun. The slow process of dehumanization going to happen to me first. I was to be the example. Speak out against the master, dare defend yourself against him, and get a lashing. I had never been beaten before, let alone in front of everyone that I'd ever known and loved. Their love could not defend me. I could not save myself. I was sickeningly afraid. He raised the whip, ready to strike me, when a tall dark-haired woman in white linen stepped out and grabbed the whip from him. I had never seen this women before, and I could not imagine that she came from my village. I knew the names and faces of almost every villager in sight. She appeared foreign to me; tan-skinned with a strong build. She must have shown up just before the trouble started. _That woman is insane, _I thought to myself_, She'll be captured along with the rest of us. She shouldn't have taken the whip because now she will suffer a punishment worse than mine._

"Oh!" Said the man, surprised, but never showing a hint of agitation. "I got to admit, this village makes tough women. Okay, okay, now we take the gloves off." One of the slavers placed a knife in his open hand. "Start hacking," he said.

The mysterious woman dealt him some blows with her knee and knocked him to the ground. Gasps issued from the crowd and I realized, after it went silent, that my jaw was wide open, impressed. The woman was on guard and alert should the other men attack her, but like me, they were too stunned to react. Their disgraced leader stood up, aggravated, and ordered half of his men to round up the girls. A fight broke out at his command. I couldn't see anything at first. I seemed to have been blinded by the chaos. Then I understood that the village men had circled themselves around the women as a protective shield, but they were not nearly protective enough. In a matter of seconds the soldiers were displacing them. There had to have been away out of the mess. I grabbed hold of my mother's arm. "We've got to get out of here!" I shouted in order to be heard above the mayhem.

"Take your sister, Gabrielle! I'm not leaving without your father!" My mother shouted back.

"But we have to go now!" I yelled frustrated. I turned my head quickly to search for a way out, and immediately I saw two of the slavers rushing forward. I knew that they were coming for me, since I too had challenged their leader. My mother picked up on this and at once moved in front of me, acting as a shield to block anyone from harming me. Lila stepped in as well, clutching onto me for dear life, which I thought was incredibly brave on her part.

The men forced my pleading mother and sister to the side and tugged at my arms and waist. I struggled and fought to free myself, but I only wound up making it easier for them. My mother and sister's shrieks of despair pierced my ears. As I felt my body being lifted over one of their shoulders, I screamed and kicked determined to be free, yet terrified at the same time.

Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw the tough woman from before throwing a staff in our direction. It hit the soldier's belly with such a force that he recoiled and dropped me. I finished him before he regained his senses, but the woman, distracted from helping me, was clobbered from behind and knocked to the ground. The soldiers had her completely surrounded. "She's down!" one said. "Yeah! You're not so tough after all," said another. Their leader cackled, unsheathing his sword. He would surely kill her, and I immediately regretted speaking out in the first place. A life would end all because I needed saving. I wished that I could have been stronger, ready to defend myself and the others. Not only was I a weakling, but I was afraid to watch the brave woman die.

I cringed preparing to turn my head away should he strike her, but by some miracle of the gods she found a buried sword. In the blink of an eye she brought it up just as he was about to hack her with his. I stared in wonder as the two swords collided, the woman holding hers up in defense, her free hand roaming the dirt for some other unseen weapon. Almost instantaneously, she found a sharp-edged hoop. _A chakram?_ I thought disbelieving. No, it had to be a simple hoop. Only a god could acquire and use such a weapon. Then she threw it, breaking swords, and I stood corrected. I heard her laugh with wicked glee and cry out so wildly that I thought I must have been witnessing the coming of Athena. If she had been at all afraid of dying, it didn't show in the least bit.

I knew that she had to have been a warrior, but could warriors actually be heroes? And could any such warrior be a woman? My mind reeled, but I kept my mouth shut. That fiercely passionate warrior had inspired my fellow villagers to fight back. We even took care of some of the soldiers ourselves with our simple gardening tools. In the end, the she was able to disarm their leader by swinging his sword into an above tree branch with hers. Then I heard her speak for the very first time. "You're with Draco." She spat approaching the now cowering leader. She removed his blue arm band with the point of her sword. It fell limply to the floor, and his bravery along with it. "Tell him Xena says, 'hello.'" On that note she smashed his face in with her elbow, and he shook to the ground with little more than a yelp.

Grinning uncontrollably, I watched as my fellow village people received the warrior woman and welcomed her kindly. She seemed overwhelmed by their enthusiasm and their gratitude, so my mother offered to take her back to our hut and dress her wound in private. I was thrilled to have an outsider in my home for the first time in four years. My sister was elated as well, for she offered to carry Xena's armor, which had been buried along with the weapons I believed at first to have been conjured up. Xena responded to her with appreciation, but she was introverted around everyone else. My sister had a sort of childlike charm about her that put others at ease. I was slightly envious of her natural ability to speak to those she liked with out seeming overenthusiastic, but I was able to put that behind me on this most joyous occasion. We had been saved by a warrior woman and I would not have to spend the rest of my days in servitude.

Back at the village, my mother and Lila tended to Xena while she put on her armor. They were very helpful and gracious toward her. They treated her wound and gave her fresh water to drink. She responded with thanks, though she spoke very little. Meanwhile, I could not stop raving about her. I bombarded her with questions and praise, never once stopping to consider how worn out she must have been from fighting. She definitely seemed like she wasn't in the mood for answering questions or even being in the presence of people for that matter. "That thing you did with the hoop, that was amazing. Where did you get that? Did you make it yourself? And that kick you do…you've got to teach me." I rambled on and on as she seemingly ignored me until my father, Herodotus, fiancé, Perdicas, and other villagers entered my home. Upon their entry I shut my mouth. It was not customary to speak once the men entered the household. My father spoke. "Xena," he said, "We'd like you to move on."

At this I began to protest despite the code of respect. "Move on? Father, she should rest here until her wound is healed."

"Daughter, hush." He scolded. When he saw that I was the only one who defended her, he turned to address Xena once more. "We don't want any trouble with you, Xena. We know your reputation. We just want you to leave."

I could not understand why anyone would want her to leave. "But Father she saved-"

"It's alright," Xena interrupted, "I plan to move on, anyway."

"Don't take too long," my father warned. After he left, Perdicas approached me. "Let's go, Gabrielle," he said, gently taking me by the arm.

"Hey," I said shaking him off, "just because we're betrothed, doesn't mean you can boss me around," I said matter-of-factly. "I want to stay and talk to Xena."

Perdicas left along with everyone else. One of the best things about Perdicas was that the code of respect between men and women in our town was pretty much nonexistent to him. I could converse with him as an equal.

After I was sure that everyone was out of earshot, I sat in the chair across from Xena and began to beg just as I had begged the traveling bard four years prior. "You've got to take me with you, and teach me everything you know. You can't leave me here."

"Why?" she questioned as she got up to gather her things. I thought up any excuse. "Did you see the guy they wanted me to marry?" I exclaimed.

"He looks like a gentle soul. That's rare in a man," she responded simply.

"It's not the gentle part I have a problem with. It's the dull, stupid part." I said. The truth is, I did not believe that Perdicas was stupid, and as far as I knew he was the complete opposite of dull, but I had never thought of him as anything more than a close friend. Besides, there was nothing I wanted less for myself than marriage. I _needed_ an adventure! "Xena, I'm not cut out for this village life. I was born to do so much more," I explained.

"I travel alone." She insisted paying more attention to her things than to me. She obviously did not have the time or the patience to deal with me. Of course not. Why would anyone as independent and experienced in the world as Xena want to drag around a helpless young wannabe like me? I would be a burden to her…Still, I could not waste these newly presented opportunities. I had been searching for a more exciting life since I was a child. I used to have a brilliant fantasy that I would be famous one day because I would document my life in scrolls. But I had not yet discovered the excitement that life had to offer. Xena was the end of my search, but to be able to travel with her I had to be sneaky since she would not willingly take me along.

"So, where are you headed now?" I asked, purposefully changing the subject.

"Amphipolis." She replied, her back still turned.

"That's in Thrace, isn't it? I love to study maps and place names." I boasted, not that she cared. My knowledge of maps would only be somewhat useful to her. "So, what route do you usually take?" I asked interested.

"Don't even think about it." she threatened coolly.

"What?" I asked taken aback. Xena turned to look me full in the face.

"Following me." She said, her cold blue eyes bearing straight into my soul. "You don't want to make me mad now do you?" I shook my head lost for words. Then she left, eyeing me closely as she exited my home. She left me sitting there to my thoughts and a lump beginning to form in my throat. Before I had time to cry, I heard the sound of a whistle coming from outside of the hut. I got up to go peer out of the window. What I saw coaxed me. A small distance away was a golden mare trotting in Xena's direction. She was as wild and free as Xena was. I saw her come to a halt before Xena so that she could mount her. "That's a girl Argo," she cooed, and together they rode off down the hill towards Thrace. I was so taken by the beauty of that moment that all of my emotion from my conversation with Xena poured out of me. I began to sob so hard that I had to heave for breath.

I was not prepared to settle down and become what every other woman was in my village. They were submissive, and they worked so hard that they might not have noticed the difference in their lives had they become slaves that afternoon. I yearned for my own life, and my only means of escape had just left through my front door. When I heard my mother calling me to wash the dishes, a simple conclusion to such a traumatic day, I decided that I was completely fed up with my average farm life. It was high time for me to leave Potidaea behind and travel to fulfill my true destiny. I had never wanted anything more than to be a warrior like Xena, not even to be a bard. I would leave my life-long home, my family, my friends, and even Perdicas to follow her. I had not the slightest idea what it would take to travel on my own. I did not know how to prepare myself for a journey which could have taken days. I had no inclination when I woke up that morning that my life was about to change so drastically. But I needed to try this. I knew that I would regret it if I did not give adventuring a try.

That evening, while my mother was preparing the goose for dinner, my sister was in the barn milking, and my father was out in the vineyard, I secretly packed my bag. My family resumed their lives as usual, but I could not let my own life go unchanged. Were they not grateful to the Warrior Princess for ensuring their right to a normal life? I could not sit idly by while my destiny to help her ensure this right to others awaited me. I could not ask my parents' permission to leave because I knew that they would give me grief about it. I would reveal my plans to no one. They would find out the next morning when they'd discover my empty bed and my personal items missing. They would not go looking for me, and even if they did I would be so far gone by then that they would give up searching.

I made sure to pack the essentials like some extra clothes, all of the dinars that I had ever saved for myself, a map, a blanket, cutlery and dishes, a flask of water, a bar of soap, my pan pipes, toiletries, a few loaves of bread, and a pat of butter. I felt like a bandit robbing my own home like that, but I'm sure if mother had sent me on a long journey, she would have packed the same exact things for me herself, and possibly more. I hid the full, heavy bag under my pillow in the bedroom, which Lila and I shared, and waited until nightfall. I hoped that no one would notice the way that my pillow was bulging out. If I had any common sense, I would have stuck the sack under the bed.

Around midnight, after I was absolutely certain that everyone was fast asleep, I got out of bed, fully clothed, and removed my bundle from underneath my pillow. I attempted to sneak out of the bedroom, but in the darkness I clumsily ran into a table, which woke Lila. I hoped that the intense darkness of the room would hide me from her eyes, but it did not.

"What's in the bag?" Lila asked sleepily. She had spotted my knapsack, which meant that I was going to have to explain this to her and it was not going to be easy. I tiptoed over to her bed sat beside her. I took a deep breath. "Lila," I began, "I'm going to join up with Xena." At this Lila began to laugh so loudly that I had to cup my hand over her mouth to quiet her. "Oh, you're serious." She whispered mystified after I'd removed my hand.

"Absolutely." I assured her. "I'm going to be a warrior like her."

She did not seem impressed. In fact she was quite skeptical. "A warrior," she mused, "Gabrielle, I could beat you up."

"Yeah, well, you're very strong for your age." I whispered embarrassed. "Lila, you know I'm different from everyone else in town."

"I know. You're crazy." She said.

"Call it what ever you like." I whispered trying not to let her words affect me too deeply. I was as sure as anything of what I wanted, and I did not want to let myself be discouraged. "The point is, I don't fit in here. And the idea of marrying Perdicus-"

"He loves you, you know." She interrupted. She had to give me the guilt trip…

"But I don't love him." I whispered finally getting it off my chest. She looked at me seeming saddened yet sympathetic. After all, was it my fault that I couldn't love him? "I've got to do this, Lila." I whispered, my eyes pleading with her to understand.

In the end I was glad that I told her because I would not have wanted her or my parents to worry for me. Lila usually understood me better than everyone else, and I could tell that she knew how badly I wanted this. She nodded and I saw her pretty blue eyes begin to fill with tears. "I'm going to miss you so much." She said, her voice breaking. I hugged her tightly, knowing in my heart that we might not see each other again for a very long time. She would grow up in my absence, and we'd both be distant. The thought of this saddened me more than I expected and we cried for a moment on each other's shoulders. "Cheer up." I said, as much for her benefit as it was for mine. "You'll finally have a room of your own. Take care of mother. Don't let her carry the water from the well by herself." I reminded her, clasping her hand.

"Alright." She murmured and dried her eyes. I let go of Lila's hand as I got up to head out of the door, picking up my knapsack. Then I turned to look at her one last time. She waved a depressing good-bye to me. I waved back, trying to be brave for her. I had to believe that she would be alright without me. She was sixteen after all. She could take care of herself, and I would try to write to her every week to ensure that we wouldn't grow apart.

With that in mind, I set off on my journey. For the first time in my entire life, I headed down the big hill towards Thrace. I passed the baker's shop, Perdicas's house, the little river, everything that I had ever grown up with and loved. I held my gazes, knowing that this would be the last time anything familiar would cross my path. When I woke up, I would be in a completely new place.

I made camp in the forest during the wee hours of the morning. I realized, as I lay on my blanket beneath the trees, how at peace I was with myself. No one would think that I was crazy where I was going, nor would I be perfectly ordinary. I loved everything about it and gave myself over to the thought of a new life traveling alongside Xena, a life in which I could really discover my true purpose.

The next morning, I rose early, cleaned up the camp site, ate some of the bread, and continued on the path. After traveling by map for several hours, I came upon a rickety old bridge overlooking the Strymon Pass. I sighed, crestfallen and quaking. I knew, after checking for an alternative, that I had to cross it, but I feared for my life. I took baby steps, one foot after the other. _This bridge will hold me up_, I thought to myself, _this bridge will hold me up_. I realized, after I had made it safely across the bridge, that I had been saying this aloud. I smiled with relief, believing I was safe. Being an adventurer was not as difficult as I would have imagined.

Just then, as if from nowhere, a large wooden cage fell from above and enclosed me. "Gotcha!" said a booming voice. So much for being an adventurer. I was trapped by a huge Cyclops! I had never seen the likes of his kind before, though I had heard many stories. He was so much more ferocious up close and his bodily stench was indescribable. The Cyclops could tell that I was alarmed because he laughed triumphantly, his great belly shaking like an earthquake. He pressed his ugly face up close to the cage and I clung to the furthest part of it as possible, frozen with fear. I could taste his breath, which reeked of rotting flesh.

I looked, horrified, into his one eye when it occurred to me that the Cyclops was blind. If he did not see me crossing the bridge, then he must have heard me talking to myself. I cursed my foolishness. I should have known that I was no match for the big world. I was only a poor farm girl and there was no way that I could get out of this jam. Still I knew had to try. I did not abandon my parents, sister, friends, and fiancé to get eaten by a monstrous fiend. Thinking fast, I tried to talk my way out of being his breakfast.

"Immortal father Zeus in Heaven," I cried, shaking with the thought of my bones snapping beneath his boulder-like teeth, "curse this brute if he eats me! Torture him with the slain serpent's blood and the crow's droppings-"

"Shut up!" he interrupted, "I hate chatty food."

I swallowed though my mouth was as dry as the Sahara and thought quickly. "I know Xena, the Warrior Princess."

"I hate Xena, the Warrior Princess," roared the Cyclops. "She blinded me! It would give me great pleasure to rip one of her friends apart with my teeth." He said sticking one of his big meaty hands into the cage. I avoided the swipe of his fingers, but just barely. My stomach churned with unease, and it was difficult to speak loudly.

"Friend?" I stammered. "Who said anything about a friend? I've been tracking her to kill her." Oh, I was clever. Not.

"How is a young thing like you going to kill Xena?" the Cyclops inquired.

"That's the point," I explained hurriedly improvising, "She'd never let a man get close enough to do her, at least, not that kind of 'do her.' But, a young, innocent-looking girl like me, I'll catch her totally off guard, cut her evil throat, and hack off her Cyclops-blinding hands." I said this all very fast, hoping to the gods that he would not see through my little scheme and set me free.

"You're really going to mess her up, huh?" he said, shockingly eating up my every word.

"You know what I think I'll do to her?" I asked intending to get him on my side.

"What?" he asked. I was relieved to see that he was so gullible. I grinned mischievously as I knew that my next sentence would win him over. "Blind her. Gouge out them eyeballs and bring them back to you. It'll make a nice little appetizer, don't you think?"

"Ooh, you'd do that for me?" he asked excitedly.

"I feel we're bonded in our hate for this she-demon." I snickered. Since when had I become skilled at talking my way out of frightening situations? The Cyclops eagerly thumped to his feet and removed the cage to set it aside. I could have grabbed my bag and made a run for it if I wanted to, but to my surprise, I was interested to see how far I could take this. I had completely abandoned my fear because I was using my head and I was using it well. "Go on," he waved, "And if you'd bring me a leg too, I'd appreciate it."

"A leg? She's got two of them, doesn't she? You'll get them both." I added reassuringly.

"And maybe a, a-"

"Hey!" I pretended to scold. "Let's not get greedy."

"Oh sorry." He apologized. Never, in my nineteen and a half years of living would I ever have thought that I, a plain little farm girl who'd been living in the same traditional village with the same people for the entirety of her life so far, could get a murderous flesh-eating Cyclops to apologize. This was almost unreal.

"Xena's blood or die!" I shouted with unrepressed pride.

He roared with laughter at this, and I was able to safely slip away while he couldn't hear me over his laughter. Thank the gods for dumb Cyclopses!

My next challenge was getting into Amphipolis. I was already running out of food and I had gotten lost on the road several times. It was only midday so there was a possibility that travelers on horseback would cross my path. If so, then I would ask them very politely to let me hitch a ride. I could not have walked the rest of the way or I might have collapsed, plus I was not prepared to run into any more bloodthirsty beasts. I would feel much safer even with a stranger. Of course, I had never hitch-hiked before, but if I could get past a hungry Cyclops, then this would be a breeze. So, I laid myself down on the road, relaxing my sore feet, and feigned sleep.

It was only a matter of time before I heard a horse-drawn cart approaching. I opened my eyelids ever so slightly so that I could make sure that the cart wouldn't run me over. I saw the driver peer over at me and I knew that he would halt the horse. Now all I had to do was smooth-talk my way into getting a ride to Amphipolis. I heard the cart come to a complete stop. The driver dismounted his cart and advanced toward me as I hoped he would. "Hey." He called. When I did not respond, the man seemed befuddled. "Hey!" he said again. I kept my eyes shut and waited for him to get close enough. "Are you dead?" he asked.

_Yes, I am._ I wanted to say. I suppose there really are such things as stupid questions. When I felt the man kick my side sharply, I picked my head up abruptly.

"Where are you headed?" I asked.

"Amphipolis." Said the man quite startled. I could see that he must have been very old. His fluffy gray beard covered most of his face, and he was awfully short, shorter than me in fact. I assumed that tricking him would be simple.

"Oh it worked!" I began, jumping up. "I have been lying here, supplicating myself to the great god, Hermes, the god of travelers, begging him to send someone who's on the way to Amphipolis. Hah!" I clapped my dirty palms together with blatant enthusiasm. "And here you are. It's a miracle, don't you think?"

"Not really." He said unmoved. "This is the road to Amphipolis. Anybody that had come along here would've been headed there."

Drat! For someone who asked such stupid questions, this guy sure knew his roads. Nevertheless, I continued attempting to sweet-talk. "Yeah, but not everyone is a kindly old man who'll give me a ride."

"You're right about that. I know I'm not going to give you a ride."

"Oh, no, no, you've got to." I pleaded. "I'll never make it by myself. I didn't bring enough food. I've already gotten lost twice. Wore the wrong shoes. Look-" I gestured towards my feet.

"Look, I'm sorry, but I ain't got any room." He said turning to mount his cart again, even though he knew full well that he was my only hope of reaching Amphipolis.

I stopped him with my hand. I was not accustomed to touching people to get their attention, especially men, but this was an urgent matter. I figured it was time to start lying again. I hated to lie, but it was one of the only things that I was really good at. I did my best. "My father will give you a handsome reward when we reach Amphipolis. He's very rich."

"What's his name?" he asked.

"Dolan." I replied thinking quick.

"Dolan? The horse breeder?" he asked interested.

"Best horses in Thrace. I'll make sure he gives you a fresh steed for your troubles." I assured him. He then broke into hearty laughter and I joined in, having no idea what exactly was so funny.

"There ain't no horse dealers in Amphipolis," he laughed. "It's all sheep country."

I stopped laughing. My lie turned against me, but that's karma I suppose. I knew that I had to keep trying though. I refused to give up on this man even though he had already mounted his cart. "I've been told that I'm very pleasant company on a trip." I proclaimed. "I can sing! I know several poems, which I recite with great passion. A traveling bard once gave me lessons. 'I sing of Oedipus, King of Thebes, the most tragic of men.'"

"Whoa, whoa." the man interfered.

"What's the matter?" I asked. Maybe I was actually getting through to him.

"You going to tell me about Oedipus? Hah! I knew Oedipus. I grew up in Thebes when he was king."

"You knew Oedipus? I'd love to hear all about him." I said truly fascinated.

"Oh, well, I guess I could make room for you up here somewhere," the man muttered, finally giving in.

"Oh no, no need. I'll just sit on top." I insisted, grateful to him. I climbed onto the cart. It was uncomfortable, but it would do. I would endure anything to get into Amphipolis, where Xena would be.

"Oedipus, the most tragic of all men," He muttered. "Biggest fool of all men, more like."

"You knew him personally?" I asked, attempting to keep him engaged.

"Well, no, not personally, but, tsk, tsk, come on, I saw him around."

The old man and I discussed Sophocles all the way there. He was quite learned, I discovered, and he was very pleasant to talk to. It was the first time in a long time that a man and I had discussed anything of worldly importance together. I relished every single moment of it. When I finally bid him adieu, I thanked him graciously and apologized for the inconvenience. Before riding away, he admitted that it was not such a terrible inconvenience after all, and he hoped that I would find who I was looking for. I had made it to Amphipolis at last! "Now, if I were Xena, where would I be?" I muttered to myself. She could not be far…

…and she wasn't. As I walked down the road, a mob of villagers were passing me to my left. They were all very deep in conversation, and they seemed to be upset over something big. I did not want to interrupt their heated conversation, but I was wondering if any of them had seen Xena in town. I approached a young peasant woman, who was throwing a stone into the air and catching it. She was the only one in the crowd who seemed to be friendly. "Excuse me?" I asked her. She turned to look at me seemingly confused as she had never met me before. "My name is Gabrielle. I'm new around here and I'm looking for Xena, the Warrior Princess. Perhaps you know of her? She's supposedly in town today, but I don't know where to find her."

"Oh I know her alright," said the woman, "All of us know her. She is from this village. We're on our way to Cyrene's Tavern to see her. Would you care to join us?"

"Would I?" I said, nearly squealing with anticipation, "I'd love to."

"Good," said the woman, "Take this." She handed me a stone from her apron pocket.

"What's it for?" I asked puzzled.

"You'll need it." She advised me. "Come on, follow the crowd. The tavern's this way."

On our way to Cyrene's Tavern, I spotted Argo, who was tied to a post outside of the lodge. Though I had been raised on a farm, my family did not own any horses, and I had never touched one before, let alone one with such rare beauty. I paused to stroke her gently, but she brayed loudly, scaring the Tartarus out of me. I clutched my stone tightly and stepped back a few paces. I did not want to touch Xena's horse again after that, so I headed for the door of the tavern after the village people.

The tavern was cozy and dark. There were only a few people sitting down to lunch, and none of them were Xena. "Here she is!" shouted a man in the front of the crowd. And there she was. Xena: Warrior Princess, in flesh and blood, stood before us all. It was the legend herself in all her eminence. I figured these people were here to welcome her back home. "We know what you're up to, Xena, and we won't let you get away with it." the man up front cried. I gaped at him in shock. Well, this was not the welcome home party I was expecting.

"What are you talking about?" asked an older woman who was standing to Xena's immediate left.

"Her army is burning fields in the west valley." Roared the man.

"That's a lie." Xena spoke in defense. "It's Draco's army." Draco…I recognized his name. He was the man who Xena had said sent slavers into my village!

"Then why are they carrying your banners and shouting your name?" the man yelled in accusation.

"Do what you will with her," said the older woman, looking betrayed. She left the room in a tearful rush. I glanced down at the stone I was holding. It suddenly dawned on me what I was supposed to use it for. I turned my head to look over at the young woman who had given it to me. She had seemed so friendly and helpful at first, but now I knew that all she had on her mind was cold-blooded murder. I dropped my stone disgusted with her, with these people, and with myself being such a sheep...I would have thought that everyone adored Xena, but then my father's words replayed themselves in my mind. Was this Xena's reputation?

"You should have stayed with your army, Xena. This is the last village you'll ever see." Said a second man up in the front of the crowd. I could not believe it. I refused to believe that Xena had allied herself with a warlord and his army. What reason could these people, who had known Xena since she was a child, have come up with to justify _murdering _her? They turned her into a scapegoat, a target, someone to put to death for their grievances. Well, they picked the wrong person to attack. Didn't they know what she was capable of? She could do them in if she felt the need to protect herself, which I would imagine she did.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" she challenged. "Take your revenge." Now this was news to me. Revenge? Revenge for what? I supposed that she must have done something terrible to the villagers of Amphipolis to deserve to have an angry mob of them after her. Even so, it did not matter to me. I just wanted her to be alright. "It's true what they say. It's sweet." Xena professed. It wasn't true. It couldn't be. She had to stop giving in to them and make with the defense already! "What? Is one woman too much for you?" she persisted. "Let me even the odds." She drew her sword, but did not fight. Instead, she placed it on the bar. "One unarmed woman might be more to your taste."

This was not the Xena I so admired. She was giving up way too easily. Well, I would not give up, not on her. I came all this way to find her and I was not about to let her lose her strength to these poor excuses for people. Plus, she had liberated my village from certain slavery, a fate which I could not have endured. I owed it to her to use my smooth-talking skills to convince these villagers that she was a heroine.

Three stones were thrown, the first of which was thrown by the young woman I had spoken to earlier, but I ran in and stood in the way. "Wait, wait, wait!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. I had never had to scream like that before and it hurt my throat, but it made me feel focused. When I got their attention, they stopped throwing stones and peered at me with angered expressions. "Now, you don't know me." I explained without hesitation. "I'm new in town. But, I can assure you, Xena is a changed woman. I saw her do some heroic things in the name of good."

The first citizen replied, "Unless you're suicidal, you'll get out of the way. She's brought Draco down on the valley."

"Draco?" I sputtered. "Now, he's a scary guy. And I understand why you're upset. But let me throw some logic at you."

"Look, you're wasting your breath." The citizen said his eyes glistening. "We'll never put our faith in Xena again. I buried two sons because of her! Now, get out of the way!"

"Now, hold on." I began again, approaching the citizen as he turned away in grief. "Let's say that you're right, and she's Draco's buddy." I said pointing an accusing finger at Xena to get the rest of them on my side. "Let's say, she's even his girlfriend. Well, what have you accomplished? You think that Draco's bad news now? What do you think he'll be like, when he hears that you knocked off his woman? Oh, boy, it gives me the creeps even to think about it."

"All right, but get Xena out of here right now." The first citizen commanded.

"No problem." I assured him. I handed a bewildered-looking Xena her sword off of the bar which she ungratefully jerked out of my hands. She glared icily at me before she left the tavern through the crowd of villagers. I followed close behind her sighing in discomfort, though I tried to keep my composure. The crowd of villagers stared us down the whole time, and I felt more uncomfortable than triumphant. I could tell that Xena thought I was crazy, and deep down I knew that she was right. I really must have been crazy to be able to talk an angry mob out of stoning someone from their own village to death. Turns out I had a real knack for that sort of thing.

Outside, Xena was getting ready to leave on Argo. She didn't even acknowledge my presence after I had just helped her avoid her death. "Hey Xena." I said to get her attention.

"What?" she snapped.

"I could probably get up there behind you." I suggested meekly. I had been so happy to have found her at last. She, however, did not seem to reciprocate this feeling. In fact, she looked like she'd rather I got lost.

"What are you talking about?" She retorted, mounting her steed.

"Wait, you're not gonna just leave me here, are you? I came all this way to see you." I said, feeling deeply hurt.

"That's your problem." She asserted.

This shook me, but I figured that it was time to use my persuasive ability once more. "Hey, I just saved your life." I reminded her. Not only had I risked my own life to save hers, but I had to save my life just that morning after being trapped by the Cyclops, who she had blinded, but not bothered to kill thank you very much. Not to mention I also had to talk my way into hitching a ride into Amphipolis from a complete and total stranger! I was not used to having to think on the spot! And after all that I _still_ had to make an ally out of Xena, but now I was convinced that she did not even care. Why would she? She probably saved her own skin every day. This day just happened to be an off day…In her eyes I did nothing spectacular to be able to see her, nor was I unique in my abilities. I was starting to feel that maybe I would have been better off at home where I was viewed as different. Simply different. Even that would have been enough at this point.

At my little reminder, however, Xena reluctantly held out her hand out to me. I took it with surprise, and she helped me onto the back of her mare. As soon as I was on the horse, I let go of her hand and clung to her waist in order to secure myself. Despite my struggle to balance on Argo, I grinned, enthused that I had won Xena over. When Argo began to trot, I felt a surge of happiness course through me. That was the very first time I had ever ridden a real horse. I had owned a pony when I was a little girl, but riding him was nothing compared to the way that I felt when riding alongside Xena on the open road. This was my dream come true. I had finally made it, and I had done it on my own. I could not help, but smile to myself when I asked her where we were going.

"To see my brother." she replied. She made no effort to continue the conversation so I started it up again. "So, where does your brother live?" I asked.

"He's dead." She responded sullenly.

"Oh," I looked to the ground, feeling incredibly stupid all of a sudden, "Oh, I'm so sorry. I…shouldn't have asked…"

"I don't need your pity, Gabrielle." Was all she said. I looked up appreciatively. She remembered my name, though I didn't know why it even mattered. It was awkwardly silent the entire length of the ride. I could not help, but believe that it was my fault. Sometimes my babbling came in handy, but in cases such as this, I needed to be mindful of when to keep my mouth shut. But how was I to know that her brother was dead? She didn't tell me beforehand. In fact, she told me that we were going to see her brother, so I would have assumed that he was still alive. Nevertheless, it bothered me that I bothered her.

When we arrived at a cave, Xena dismounted Argo and tied her reigns to a nearby tree. "You stay here." She instructed me and disappeared inside the cave, the tomb of her younger brother. Of course, I did not obey due to my unfortunate tendency to be nosy. I slid off of Argo and approached the entrance of the cave to listen. I heard her brush off the sarcophagus. Then she began to speak, her voice wavering with regret.

"You always did have trouble keeping your face clean." She said, as though the spirit of her bother was there in the room with her. "Since you've been gone, I kind of lost my way. Now, I found it. I thought I could start over, but no, they don't trust me. Not even Mother. I can't blame her. She can't see into my heart. But I've got to believe that you can. And I wish you were here. It's hard to be alone."

Xena's words were sincere and, apparently unlike her mother, I saw into her heart. Though she was incredibly skilled at what she did, she was a troubled person, and she was in need of a friend. She needed someone who could see beyond her past misdeeds, what ever they were, and help her in her desire to do good. I understood that she did not appreciate my pity because she was seeking her brother's. But her brother was dead and I was young and more full of life than I ever would be. I recognized that she wasn't perfect and I accepted that. I accepted that there had to be consequences for her actions, and I had even accepted that I irritated her.

I considered her a sister, mostly unconditionally, but also because she freed me, not just from the almost fatal clutches of the slavers, but from my useless life in Potidaea. Before I met her, I merely existed with no purpose. No purpose at all, but to tell stories. Now I had someone to tell stories to as well as about, and I did not have to feel ashamed to be myself ever again. Not only did I owe her my friendship, but I eagerly sought hers. I entered the cave and told her, "You are not alone."

She turned to face me then. Her expression was one of amazement and, to my relief, not anger. I gave her a smile of intended comfort and she surprised me by returning it. There was a certain warmth about her that I had never felt from her before or even guessed that she possessed. There were no spoken words between us, but I could tell that there was beauty in this woman, who was labeled as a beast, for she could see that I too was insecure and looking for friendship. The two of us bonded in that single moment.

"You, uh, you ready to go back?" she asked finally.

I nodded and we set off again, back to Amphipolis. This time there would be no angry mob. Xena was to save the villagers of her hometown from the warlord, Draco. She admitted to me that she had been allies with Draco a few years prior, which is why none of her fellow villagers trusted her anymore, but at least she knew where his troops resided. She had visited him the night I left Potidaea and requested that he not send soldiers into my village again. He could sense that she cared about us and our well-being, so he proposed a deal, as he so often did. He would spare my village if Xena joined with him once again. She declined his offer and said that she was ready to go home. Draco warned her that her home would no longer feel like home to her because everyone there will have turned into her enemies.

Disregarding this warning, Xena set off for Amphipolis. It was not long before she ran into Hector, the leader of the slavers. She made him reveal Draco's plans with a swift pinch at his neck. I did not know how it worked, but with the pinch she was able to discover that Draco had ordered him to follow her, which meant that Draco had switched targets from my village to hers. Draco's men convinced Xena's villagers that the attack was ordered by Xena herself. Just as Draco had warned, Xena's homecoming was not well-receipted. Everyone in sight had some grievance due to her. I had helped her escape that one, and now it was her turn to help her fellow villagers escape Draco. I hoped that this would turn out to be a reputation-booster for her.

Xena and Draco had not always gotten along with each other. She mentioned to me that she had left him with a long scar across his right cheek after a fight. This was one of those instances where the two did not agree on the matter, and Draco would attempt to make her pay dearly. I was afraid that Xena would not be able to fight off his army alone, but then again I had seen her do it once before. Who's to say that she couldn't do it this time?

Sure enough, when we arrived, all of the villagers were gathered in a barn conversing with, who Xena told me, was Draco. We were too late to evacuate the village before he arrived, but Xena had a back up plan. The two of us lingered outside of the barn to listen to the villagers' conversation. They were trying to make a deal with Draco. From the sound of it, it did not seem to be going as planned.

"Why would I want to do that?" I heard Draco snarl from inside the barn.

"Well, uh, we thought that if we pledged to supply your troops whenever you're in the area, that might be very valuable to you. More valuable then a bunch of dead villagers." The first citizen explained. They were not doing very well with out Xena there to help them. They should have listened to her and let her lead them in mounting a defense.

"But not nearly as entertaining." Snickered Draco. "However, perhaps there is a deal to be made. You do have something I want. Xena."

I gasped, but Xena covered my mouth before I could say anything. "It's alright," she assured me, "Let me handle this." There wasn't a doubt in my mind that she could. It just surprised me that a warlord would travel so far out of his way to not only destroy her village, but to claim her even after she had turned him down. Then again, I left my own hometown, which was miles away, to join her after she'd turned _me_ down. Perhaps Draco had similar motives for wanting to stick with Xena, but the way in which he was tormenting these civilians into telling him where she went was starting make me angry.

The first citizen looked confused. "Xena." he repeated "But she's not here." Well, if he had listened to Xena's warning, maybe he and his fellow villagers would have been safe at this time. But now wasn't the time to be bitter about it. Now was the time to make with the action.

I heard a beat and then an agonized groan. "Where is she?" Draco demanded.

"I don't know." Insisted the villager, who had apparently been hurt. I listened so intently that I couldn't even hear myself breathe. I wouldn't have noticed if I had held my breath. I was suddenly afraid.

"Let me show your fellow citizens what happens to those who don't cooperate with Draco." He threatened.

"Please don't kill me." the villager pleaded. I shut my eyes tightly, trying to picture myself somewhere else. I did not want to witness a murder. I wasn't ready for that yet.

"Oh, in a few minutes, you'll be begging me to do just that, you lying sack of-"

Just then, I heard Xena enter the barn and I opened my eyes. I saw the villagers gape at her, not only in relief, but in wonder, as though she'd entered in a blaze of glory. I gathered myself in relief. "He's not lying." She said coolly. "Hello, Draco."

Draco grinned at the sight of her. I could see him clearly as I entered the barn a few moments later. He was about as tall as she was and he had dark skin, hair, and eyes. He wore a helmet with black horse hair, an exact replica of the one Hector had worn on the day he raided my village. His heavy black armor gave him an intimidating appearance. He also had an ugly scar on his right cheek, which I guessed was the one that Xena told me she had given to him a few years ago. "Xena." He announced. "How was the homecoming? Did they throw you a party?"

Xena was clearly not in the mood for jokes. "What do you want?"

"I want you, one way or the other." He said approaching her seductively. "We could be great together. You must know by now you can never escape your past. Xena, celebrate you dark side, don't run away from it. Ride with me."

Xena's piercing gaze softened a little. She was going to refuse him, I knew that she would. "You said one way or the other. It's the other." She said. I silently cheered.

"Choose the weapons." Said Draco. The fight would soon begin. I tensed waiting for Xena's much anticipated reply.

"You choose the weapons. I'll choose the conditions." She said, her plan beginning to unfold.

"Staffs." said Draco without giving it much thought.

"On that scaffolding up there." Xena chose, pointing to a platform above the inside of the barn. There was a gleam in her eye and I knew that what ever she was planning, it was going to be tricky. "The first one to touch the ground dies." She declared. I was not expecting that.

Draco turned to his archers and said, "Kill the first one that touches the ground. No one leaves until we're finished."

I suddenly grew extremely anxious. This was going to be a battle to the death. What if Xena did not survive? Then again, if she was not certain that she would, then she wouldn't have proposed the deal in the first place. I decided to put my faith in her, remembering how she had saved me and my fellow village women from a lifetime of servitude. I felt confident that she would win, however I was not sure that I was prepared to witness a death, even the death of a man that I loathed.

Draco flipped onto the scaffolding, which was like a stage overlooking a small arena, and was given a staff. Xena used two men to get up, ending with an equally impressive flip. "Show off." Draco chortled. The fight began and suddenly all the villagers who were so against Xena earlier that afternoon were cheering her on. I knew that they could not stay angry with her forever.

Draco managed to use his strength to break the bamboo pole Xena was balancing on. Her feet swung, just missing the ground. Draco started to hit Xena's hands, which clung firmly onto the bamboo pole, to make her let go and touch the ground.

"Why are you doing it, Xena? They're sheep! You're gonna die for them, and they despise you!" Draco shouted with rage. He went for Xena's head, but she caught the staff with her legs and hit him with it. She flipped back up and the fight continued.

I proudly looked on as Xena skillfully made Draco lose his balance. I noticed then, that one of Draco's men was standing to my right. He had a blue arm band tied to his left shoulder and he wore a similar helmet as Hector. I supposed that Draco must have put a new man in charge. I made sure to be aware of him as I began to direct my attention back to the fight. Draco was forced to walk on the villagers' shoulders and heads. He motioned for Xena to join him and she did. Many villagers offered her their shoulders in support and I beamed with pride.

Just then Draco began attacking the man who was holding Xena on his shoulders. The man fell, but Xena, airborne, moved to hit Draco with a roundhouse. He stumbled, but the man to my right moved in and caught him. I should have been paying more attention. I knew that he would help Draco cheat and I did nothing about it. Now he had an unfair advantage against Xena. Draco leapt up and the fight continued again, Xena once more on someone's shoulders. Draco went for the man she was standing on, but anticipating this, Xena saved him. She attacked Draco's feet and he was about to fall. The man next to me moved to help him once again, but this time I moved more quickly, and I was able to trip him. The astonished man did not know what hit him. I smirked to myself as I watched Xena deal Draco a mighty kick. He landed flat on the ground and she leapt onto his chest. The fight was over.

"I haven't touched the ground yet, Draco," she stated smirking, "but you have." She stepped down to let everyone admire her work. There was a hush in the crowd. Everyone was waiting for Draco's archers to annihilate him, but they held back. "Looks like I'll have to finish you off myself." Xena sighed as though killing him would be a bore. She stuck the end of her staff at his throat. "Of course, now, maybe you're willing to make a deal."

"No deal, kill him!" someone shouted. Xena ignored him.

"If I let you live," she continued, "you and your army clear out of the valley by sundown. Swear it, on the head of Ares."

Draco astoundingly, but grudgingly obeyed. "I swear, on the head of Ares, God of War, to be out of your valley by sundown."

"Then go." Xena commanded. She had won the fight, but no one had to die. I sighed with relief. Just then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw the man that I had tripped get to his feet with his dagger drawn. He moved towards Xena.

"Xena!" I shouted, a desperate warning.

Draco drew a knife, then, and plunged it into his soldier's side. I cringed, feeling a wave of nausea upon seeing the violent death of a man who had been standing to my right a only moment prior. The soon-to-be corpse collapsed and I turned my face away, almost saddened, even though he had tried to kill my friend merely a second ago. "A deals a deal." Draco shrugged. Then he rounded up the rest of his men and left. Xena watched him go, seeming almost regretful for reasons unknown to me.

The citizen, who was intent on killing her earlier that day, offered to let her have the loot wagons that he had originally prepared for Draco. "I don't want anything." Xena insisted, continuing to watch Draco's men march out of town. After a few minutes, the tavern cleared out and Xena was left to herself. She was readying her things for the coming journey when the older woman from before stepped in to greet Xena. They hugged for a moment, and Xena said, "Mother, forgive me, please."

Xena's mother was pretty, fairly shorter than Xena, as was mostly everyone, but she had similar facial features; the sharp cheek bones, the baby blue eyes, and tangled dark hair. She beamed at her daughter. "I forgive you, my little one. I forgive you. I'm so happy to have you back again." I was witnessing a very private moment between Xena and her mother, so I left the tavern and waited outside for her.

"You know I can't stay very long." Xena reminded her as I left. I'm sure the woman knew as well as I did, that Xena belonged on the road to redeeming her supposedly murderous past. After saying her good-byes, Xena left her hometown. Feeling happy and proud despite my lingering nausea, I left Amphipolis as well only to search for the Warrior Princess once more.

Later that night, I discovered her sitting by a campfire deep in the forest. Naturally, she was alone. I did not want to bother her unless she was in need of my smooth-talking skills, so I tried to set up camp on my own. I was not very efficient as I soon found out. I could not start a decent fire due to my lack of wood-cutting devices, and I had picked a rather detestable spot to sleep. I looked to the distance towards Xena's campsite. Her fire roared and crackled while mine barley sparked. I decided wholeheartedly to just give up and join her. I knew that was what I wanted all along anyway. The only thing that had stopped me from imposing on her in the first place was that I grew shy and afraid that I would leave a bad impression on her. I decided to use my lame fire as an excuse for meeting up with her.

So I packed up my things, swallowed up my intimidation, and set forth. On my way into Xena's campsite, I felt the bushes rustle as I brushed past them, and she leapt up, sword drawn, upon hearing the noise. I froze, praying to the gods that she wouldn't attack me. When she saw that it was only me, she lowered the sword, sighed, and sat down.

"I was gonna follow you, until you were in some jam." I prattled, taking a seat next to her by the campfire. "It's so cold out there," I sniffed, "and I couldn't get a fire started. And the mosquitoes are as big as eagles."

Xena smirked. I could tell that she saw right through me. "You know, I'm sending you home in the morning." She disclosed.

"I won't stay home." I guaranteed her, "I don't belong there, Xena. I'm not the little girl that my parents wanted me to be. You wouldn't understand." I muttered sheepishly.

Xena looked to me with compassion, which I did not expect. "It's not easy proving you're a different person." She acknowledged and tossed something soft into my lap. A blanket. As it so rarely happens, I did not know what to say. I stared at her, completely speechless, and found that she was smiling at me. I smiled too, feeling my cheeks grow warm. "You can sleep over there." She said nodding at an area across the fire. She grinned widely then and laughed. I noticed that she had perfectly straight teeth. As I wondered how on earth she got her teeth to be so straight, I laughed too, relieving what ever tension there was between us. It was good to feel at home again.

Our first morning together had arrived. After eating a light breakfast, Xena and I walked along with Argo on the path to our next destination. I told her about my family and about our lifestyle back in Potidaea. I explained that getting out was my one salvation from all of the pressure to mold myself into someone who I wasn't and could never be. With Xena, I felt free to be who I was with out having to worry about what anyone thought of me. It was a good feeling, something one rarely feels unless you know that you are doing something right for yourself.

Xena could sense my happiness and this brought her at ease. She was not used to traveling with someone, so we would need to learn how to get along. We would need to teach each other how we wanted to be treated. We would need to be respectful of each other's privacy, which would mean we would also need to learn how to take a hint. (Especially me.) I loved having the opportunity to learn to survive in the wilderness and I loved having Xena as a mentor. She was just as strange and mysterious as Alexander the Bard, only she was a women. Somehow that made all of the difference.

The two of us journeyed out of the forest and into the countryside, where there were rolling hills and grassy planes. Familiar, yet unfamiliar. Everything that I would see and experience with Xena would be brand new to me, yet when I was with her I felt very comfortable. As we walked along, talking, laughing and entertaining each other, she began to express concern about my safety in our travels together. "You know, where I'm headed, there will be trouble." She cautioned.

"I know." I said. I was very much aware that danger awaited us in the future. She was a warrior, and therefore danger must follow her everywhere. But somehow I was unafraid. "Then why would you want to go into that with me?" Xena inquired.

"That's what friends do," I assured her, "they stand by each other when there's trouble."

Xena paused for a moment to consider my words carefully. Then she smiled to herself. "All right," she finally accepted, "friend."


	2. Chapter 2

Scroll I – Chapter ii – Chariots of War

The Warrior Princess Xena and I had been traveling together for only a few days, yet during that time the air had at last shed its humidity. The autumn solstice was at hand. I soon discovered how difficult it was to live on the road, even with someone as dependable as Xena. Just the previous night, for instance, we hadn't given much thought as to where we would sleep or what we would eat. Xena told me that most of the time we would just have to wing it. Since we set off from Amphipolis, Xena made it clear to me that she was ready to abandon her past self, her past hates, and her thirst for power. But since she made the decision to fight for the good of all, she had a tendency to behave as though a battle could ignite at any given moment. I did not like this habit of hers because I had a fair amount of trouble communicating with her when she was like that. She became hardened and closed off and busied me with favors in order to send me away. I did what ever she asked of me. I was overjoyed when it was my turn to cook the meal. I was very helpful when it came time to prepare and disassemble the camp site day after day. I ran errands. I tended to Argo. I even agreed to do the laundry (every once in a while.) But she still made no effort to open up to me, which provoked me to no end.

Today, after traveling by foot on the road for several hours, we came upon a town which neither of us had ever visited before. Worn out and famished, the two of us decided to take a quick rest stop at the nearest available tavern. On the way, we past crowds of busy and bustling townsfolk. I was delighted to be experiencing new places and cultures for the first time. Even the crowded tavern we had entered held my interest. Xena, however, was always on guard. She eyed everyone in sight, memorizing their features and scanning them for weapons. The two of us had been standing at the bar for a few minutes, Xena continuing to remain in "warrior-mode," while I merely sat there waiting for the bartender to finally take our orders. I couldn't help, but feel that I was the only one of us enjoying the lively atmosphere of this place. Xena seemed elsewhere, another planet perhaps. Planet of the warriors. When the bartender got my attention, I tapped Xena to get hers. "Hey Xena," I said, waving my palm before her unblinking eyes. "Earth to Xena…Xena!"

"What?" she said snapping out of it.

"The bartender would like to take our orders now." I informed her.

"Oh well it's about time," she said to the man, "I'll have a mug of ale please, and the lady here will have a pint of water."

"Hey!" I piped in, feeling her words to be rather insulting. "You know maybe I'd like a mug of ale too, but of course you didn't bother to ask me."

"Should I have to?" she asked raising an eyebrow. "You're far to young to have a drink."

"Says who? I can drink what ever I please. I am a 'lady' after all." I argued.

"Will you or will you not have a pint of water, Miss?" droned the bartender.

"Yes, it'll be water for me. Thank you, sir." I said scowling at Xena. She smirked as the bartender left to fetch us our drinks, and I figured that she was only trying to get me riled up. The day before, she had discovered how easy it was for her to do that to me. We had only known each other for a short amount of time, yet we both knew how to drive each other up the wall. In fact, I had a plan to get her back. "How would you like me to tell you a story." I suggested, smiling at her sweet as can be.

"Gods, no." she said pressing her face into her palm.

"Come on, just a quick story." I persisted. "I promise it's a good one, and it'll help pass the time while we wait for the drinks."

"Spare me Gabrielle." She said emotionlessly.

"Once long ago, in a faraway land, there lived a bold young man and an adventurous young woman." I began.

"Zeus, where is that ale?"

In the time that it took for us to relax with our drinks, I told Xena a love story in an attempt to bring out her soft side. But she did not seem the least bit interested in what I was saying. "So Zeus, in his appreciation, turned the two lovers into oak trees," I concluded, "And then do you know what happened?" I asked to see if she was still paying attention.

"Somebody built a boat out of them?" Xena suggested impassively as she took the last sip of her ale.

"No," I responded trying to sound patient, "their branches intertwined and they spent the rest of their days in each other's embrace."

"What's the point?" Xena asked.

"Come on, Xena. I believe everyone will find their tree in the forest someday. Even you."

"I find the strongest trees in the forest stand alone." She said indifferently.

"You don't have to be strong all the time, Xena." I affirmed. "Sometimes it's good for the soul to be soft."

"Oh, yeah." Xena said with a hint of sarcasm in her voice. "Look, I'm gonna ride up ahead and see if we can ford the Meleatus River. Otherwise, we'll have to double back two days. Let's find some place you can wait for me."

"What's wrong with this place?" I inquired. Just then a drunkard staggered up to me and wrapped his hairy arm around my shoulders. Startled I looked up at him just as he belched obnoxiously in my face. "Hello, beautiful!" he breathed looking as though he would vomit in his blissfully drunken state. I gaped at him, thoroughly disgusted, and instantly made up my mind. "Another place sounds good." I said shrinking out from under his weight. In fact, another place sounded great. "Come on blondie, tell me a story." The man implored and gave another great belch. Xena swiftly ushered me out.

Later on, she dropped me off at an inn where she trusted that I would be safe. "Don't forget about me." I called to her as she mounted Argo.

"I won't." Xena promised and rode away. As I knew I would, I watched her go until she was out of sight. Then I entered the inn, convincing myself to stay in high spirits. Xena would only be gone for a short amount of time, and I supposed that it would be good for me to be on my own for a little while. The inn was not as crowded as the last tavern, but I noticed that I was the only woman there. I felt anxious at first, but thankfully none of the men decided to approach me or worse, belch loudly in my face. They were all deeply engaged in their own personal activities.

I found an empty table with a lit candle placed in the center in a secluded corner of the room. I claimed this table for myself and pulled up a chair. After settling there I opened up my knapsack to find something to entertain myself with while I awaited Xena's return. In the last town we visited, Xena took me to a scroll shop where I purchased a blank scroll and quill. I picked these out and began to write. I had been craving some time alone to write about my previous adventure with Xena, and there had been no better time to do it than right at that moment. It had all seemed like a fantastic dream to me, but the memory of beginning my journey was still strong, and I did not want to lose it. I entitled the story, Sins of the Past, and sat at my table engrossed in the wonders of the written word for hours as customers came and went. I found that the act of writing out my inner thoughts took me right back to the very day that Xena entered my life. It was a glorious day of discovery and liberation. I would never have to forget it now.

The inn was nearly empty when I realized just how late it had become. I peered out of the nearest window and discovered that it was pitch black outside. If not for the candle light I would not have been able to write for all of those hours. I pocketed my scroll and quill and put on my knapsack hoping that Xena would be back soon. But I waited yet another hour for her at my table and still she had not arrived. I had felt so accomplished before, having finally written something of worth. But now I grew impatient, thirsty, and a little worried. After what seemed like an eternity, I approached the bar seeking assistance.

"Excuse me Sir," I said to the innkeeper behind the counter, "Would you tell me, have you seen a tall, dark-haired woman wearing a ton of leather? Her name is Xena. I have been waiting here for at least four hours for her to come and pick me up."

"You're the only woman I've seen all day," grumbled the man, "and you haven't bought one thing to drink."

"Oh, I'm sorry," I said trying to sound sincere. I paced back and forth in front of the bar, wringing my hands nervously as I did so. "I'm sure she'll be here any minute. She's very dependable. Of course, she also takes a lot of risks."

"You gonna have a drink or not?" asked the innkeeper annoyed.

"Yes, thanks." I replied with gratitude, succumbing to my thirst.

"It's not a gift." He added, pouring a think liquid into a mug intended for me.

"What?" I asked, unsure of what he meant at first. "Oh. Hah! I have money." I explained feeling foolish. I opened my knapsack to take out my change purse when I changed my mind. "Actually, I'm not a big drinker. Do you have any water?"

The innkeeper glared at me and switched mugs. I could see that I had not made a very good impression on him so far, so I tried to flatter him. "You have a very nice establishment." I said. "How late are you open?"

"Late." Was all he said, and that was the end of our conversation. He handed me my water and I sat back down at my table to drink it. I was thankful that the tavern was open late because another hour passed and I grew weary of waiting. I approached the counter again, nearly collapsing with fatigue, and beseeched the innkeeper to let me stay the night. He didn't seem thrilled that I could not pay.

"Please," I begged, "When Xena gets here, I promise to make her pay for my room. After all, it is her fault that I have no where to stay. She'll have to-"

"Alright," the innkeeper broke in exasperated, "I'll let you stay for one night only. But you may not leave here until all of my services are paid for."

"You got it." I said relieved. I prayed to the gods that Xena would return during the night so that I could leave the inn as soon as possible. I was beginning to worry about her safety. I knew that she would not leave me waiting there alone intentionally. Something must have happened to her on her way to the river. I fought back my urge to panic and took a few deep breaths. She would be alright. She was the Warrior Princess after all. She could take on any challenge that came her way and excel beyond anyone's expectations. Right?

The innkeeper showed me upstairs to a little room complete with a small wooden desk and chair, a matching dresser, a lamp, a dusty mirror, and a very poorly-made bed. "Here is your key." He said, handing me a thick rusty key. "Have a good night." He grumbled. And with that he retired to his room across the hall. I entered my room quietly and shut the door gently so as not to disturb my neighbors. I carefully lit the lamp and made my way across the room and set my backpack down on the little desk. The bed looked terribly uninviting. I sat myself down upon it to feel the mattress. It was as I anticipated, lumpy and hard. For the first time since I left, I missed my soft warm bed back home. I wondered how Lila was doing with the room all to herself. Did she even really miss me at all? I had not written to her as I had promised myself I would, and I decided that I had to do it soon or she and my parents would worry about me, the way that I was worrying about Xena.

It was difficult to sleep even though I was lying in a bed for the first time in about a week. It was easier to sleep when I had company, even if I was on the floor. I was used to sharing a bedroom with Lila, and over the past few nights I had shared a campsite with Xena. I did not like how the floor of the room creaked or how the wind whistled against the window pane. I missed the sound of cicadas in the forest trees and looking up at the stars through their branches. I missed the hickory scent of the campfire and the lingering taste of smoked meat in my mouth.

I realized then how badly I hungered for a meal. I had not eaten since the afternoon, and that was only some left-over fish from the night before. I hoped that Xena would get back soon. It was her company that I craved most of all. If she had been there, I might have been able to sleep the night away in the lonely little inn room. Figures, I was even dependent on her to help me fall asleep.

The next morning, I woke up to the sound of wild drinking parties emanating from the lower level. Once I realized I was awake, I sat bolt upright and looked out of the window next to me. I was not sure how late in the morning it was, but I didn't care. I hurriedly made the bed and dressed, ignoring the slight back pains that the mattress had left me with. With my hand I wiped some of the dust off of the mirror. Looking closely at my familiar reflection, I twisted some of my hair back just the way I liked it. I couldn't imagine that Xena had returned, otherwise she would have come up to my room to fetch me. But perhaps she was being respectful by letting me sleep, and I would find her downstairs after all.

After readying myself for the day, I descended into the bar area with my change purse to find that Xena still had not arrived. Disappointed and agitated, I made my way through the many crowds of drunkards. I looked around me at the noisy, rambunctious fellows, and was astounded that anyone could be drinking this early in the day. Intimidated by the crowds, I moved closer to the bar where I felt protected by the innkeeper. "It's a bit early for a celebration." I said to him regarding the state of his tavern. He smiled in agreement, much to my surprise. I supposed he did with a good nights sleep and was in a good mood. "Can I have some water, please?" I asked him while I was sure that he was still pleased.

The man was about to pour me some much needed water when I was approached by a lanky goat-like thug wearing an eye patch. I instinctively stiffened, ready to slip into defense mode. "Let me buy you a mug of ale," he said attempting to be flirtatious, "but then you'll owe me."

"How generous." I said secretly appalled. "Of course I have to decline. What would people think? I mean, me a- a young, innocent girl taking gifts from a swarthy stranger? Hmm! The gossip alone would send this town reeling."

"Is that a 'yes?'" asked the thug_. Great_, I thought_, an idiot._

"Well, not in the customary sense of the word." I said, trying to let him down easy. "But maybe you could help me. I'm looking for a friend of mine."

"I can be your friend." The thug smiled, showing an array of crooked, yellow teeth. He knelt forward to touch my face. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the bartender look on at us, but he did nothing to try and help me ward off this creep. Well this was slowly turning into a nightmare. What was I thinking asking for help from a sketchy older man? I must have been out of my mind!

"I'm serious," I warned trying to push him off, "and you'd better back off before I find her. It's Xena."

The thug seemed to recognize the name. "The Warrior Princess?" he asked.

"Yeah." I said matter-of-factly, hoping that my threat would send him running.

"Well, I like it." He smiled creepily again. "I could be a friend to both of you."

He knelt forward to try and touch my face again. I should have slapped his hand away, but I was beginning to feel frightened. I did not like the way he kept perusing me after I had repeatedly told him off, and his beer breath was so unappealing. Even though I was against being the damsel in distress, I knew that I had to find a suitable young man…

"And I'm looking for my boyfriend." I lied turning away from his hand to look for a man, any man, who would appear to be a threat. Maybe this time he could take a hint. "Big, strong, jealous type, huh! And there he is now." I said pointing to a handsome young warrior clad in heavy armor sitting by himself at a table for two. He seemed to be the only sober individual in sight. _Perfect_. "Hmm! He's resting, after polishing his giant, lethal sword collection." I stated boldly. I thought that perhaps if I described him the way that I would normally describe Xena, it would be more effective. This unfortunately did not work as well as I had hoped.

"He's not your boyfriend." The thug said.

"Oh, you don't think so?" I challenged, not entirely sure where I was taking this.

"No, I don't." replied the thug leaning forward once more.

I was completely lost for words. If he did not trust me, then I was going to have to prove somehow that the stranger sitting alone was my boyfriend. This would mean breaking the code of respect that I was used following. But certainly not every village was like mine, and as I had recently discovered, not every warrior was evil. I did not want to do it, but to avoid the stranger's touch, I strode up to the solitary young man with a look of confidence upon my would-be embarrassed face. He looked up in time to see me approaching him just before I took his face in my hands and pressed my lips against his. Then I sat, smirking at the thug, onto his lap. The young man, whose lap that I was not given permission to plant myself upon, gawked dazedly at me. "Pretend you know me." I whispered pleadingly into his ear.

"Ah, no problem," the man replied as if it were his lucky day. At least he was not offended. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the thug stare at us in amazement and then stagger away. "Oh, that was close." I sighed and got up to sit on the chair opposite the man to whom I had just given my first kiss. I never expected that my first kiss would be so…unexpected. "Thank you, and I apologize" I said. "That creep just wouldn't leave me alone. If you wouldn't mind pretending to be my boyfriend for a few more minutes..." I was afraid that the thug might approach me again if he saw me alone. The man took the hint.

"It's fine," he said smiling at me, still bewildered. "I'm Sphaerus by the way. So, um, how long have we been seeing each other, ah-"

"Gabrielle," I said grinning in spite of myself, "and you fell madly in love with me the moment we met." I joked.

"Well, it's no wonder." Sphaerus said sincerely, "The- the way you kiss." At this, I felt a blush coming on, and I started to forget where I was. His eyes were hazel saucers set under delicate lids that could have belonged to a woman, except he was very rugged. How could I have missed that he was absolutely breath-taking? Noticing my obvious attraction to him, he changed the subject quickly. "Uh, what brings you to this place?" he asked.

"Ah, I'm looking for my best friend." I replied, suddenly remembering my purpose for being there. "Maybe you've seen her? Six feet tall, dark hair, lots of leather. She fights like the Harpies in a bad mood. Her name's Xena."

"Ah, no, uh, sorry." Sphaerus said uncertainly, almost guiltily. "This friend of yours, you were, you were close?"

"Are you kidding? Like this." I said, holding up my crossed fingers. "I don't know what I'm worried about. If anyone can take care of herself, it's Xena."

After mentally convincing myself that Xena was definitely alright, I allowed myself to continue paying attention to the sweet young man sitting directly opposite me. I noticed his tangled thick brown hair and muscular arms. It made me wonder if he really was a warrior or if I had just assumed that he was. "So what do you do?" I asked curiously.

"I, uh, I work for my father." Sphaerus responded, not meeting my eyes. "I took over for my brother after he died in battle. But, he makes me do things I never thought I would. Things I regret."

"Mm, I can understand that." I said nodding sympathetically. "My mother always wanted me to get married and have kids. And I remember, telling her that I'd always be grateful for the way that she raised me. But she couldn't expect me to pay for that with my future."

Sphaerus looked at me again seeming appreciative. "That's um, that's very insightful." He said admiringly.

"It's a gift." I explained. "Anyway, I came to a point in my life where I had to make a choice. And I thought about who I really was, and I made it."

Sphaerus nodded and said, "Well, look, um I better go. Um, maybe I'll see you around sometime?"

We exchanged smiles before he stood up and, to my disappointment, exited the inn. I sat there blushing like a little girl. It had been a while since I felt attracted to anyone. I secretly hoped that he was the man that the gods had sent for me. He just had to be my tree in the forest. There was something about him that spoke to me from within, that told me that we were right for each other. Then it occurred to me that I never asked him where he worked, and all at once my hope of ever seeing Sphaerus again faded. Sadness welled up in my heart as I sat alone at the place where we had met, dreaming of the day that we might meet once more.

I eventually got sick of waiting around for Xena, and I set off to go look for her. It seemed as though looking for Xena was all that I did with my spare time, and it made me feel weak. And the truth is that I _was_ dependent on her for absolutely everything. I had never lived on my own before, and even though this was what I wanted for myself, I was scared. I had no money, no experience, and I had barely made it through one night alone. I thought that she must not have realized just how dependent I really was on her protection. I hated to trouble her so often, but after spending about a week together, she did not seem to mind having a companion to travel with, even if my incessant story-telling bothered her quite a lot. All I really wanted was to be her friend and to learn all that there was to know from her. She was much older than me, twenty-nine to be exact, and so she was far more learned than I, but there were so many things about her that I still did not know. I could not wait to find out any longer. I had to meet up with her.

I was able to leave the inn without the innkeeper noticing. I felt guilty that I could not pay him, but if I had waited any longer I surely would have had an anxiety attack. Xena said, the day she left me, that she was going to ride up ahead and see if we could ford the Meleatus River, so I headed in that direction. I knew where it was because I had studied the map for so long. It took me a while, but I did find it eventually. I was searching the river bank when I heard the familiar yet distant sound of a horse trotting. Argo perhaps? It couldn't be…but it was! I was so relieved when I looked behind me to see that it really was Xena and Argo. I waved to her frantically. "Xena, it's me!" I called. She saw me immediately and shook her head, smirking. I rushed to catch up to her, pushing away at the shrubs blocking my path.

"Where have you been? I've been looking all over for you." I exclaimed out of breath as she dismounted Argo and approached me, seemingly guilt-ridden.

"I ran into a little trouble." She explained.

"You? Trouble? That's a surprise!" I chided. "You couldn't send a messenger? I was worried sick!" I sounded like her mother.

"I'm sorry." She uttered almost inaudibly as I turned away. I turned back around.

"Did you just apologize?" I asked, believing I must not have heard correctly.

"There's a farmhouse down the road." She said looking at me again. "Nice people. I want you to wait for me there."

"Where are you going?" I asked incredulous. She glared at me, attempting to appear threatening. "No, no." I shook my head, ignoring her threatening glance. I should have known that she would send me off somewhere else. I was beginning to think that this was typical of Xena. "No, I'm not waiting around while you have all the fun." I insisted, giving her a look to try and prove that I would not simply give in. I turned to strut down the path, leading the way this time. "Now, come on. You just going to stand there all day?"

She got the point. I would go with her no matter what. We walked a little ways down the road and I told her about Sphaerus, the lovely young man that I had met while waiting for her at the inn. "I think I might have found my tree in the forest." I said, blushing at the mere thought of him. "He was cute, in sort of a- a rugged, outdoorsy way, at least I thought so. Anyway, things were going fine until we started talking about his father. And then he just gets up and leaves. Well, now, I have no way of finding this guy, again. What if I'm supposed to intertwine with him and have kids? Now I'll wind up some lonely, pathetic woman, like-" At this, I was afraid that Xena would give me the death stare, as she did once before when I tried to bring up the subject of her love life, but this time she did not. Her expression remained serious, as it usually was when ever she expected an attack. "Never mind." I muttered. "You haven't heard a word I said." Then I realized that there was a reason for her tuning me out. Something was wrong. "Xena, what is it?" I demanded worriedly.

"Get on the horse." She instructed peering toward the distance. I looked in the same direction, down the stream, and saw two chariots full of soldiers racing toward us. Trouble…

"No, no, no. I want to help you." I insisted even though I was mildly afraid.

"You can help by getting on the horse." Said Xena anxiously. "I need someone to distract them."

She wanted me to be the target? Now this I could not do. I stared fixedly at the soldiers, silently pondering another way to escape them. Seeing that this was no time for coming up with my own plan, Xena took my hand and led me towards Argo's stirrups. I made up any excuse, as I usually did in times of desperation. "I'm not very good at this horse thing." I said uncertainly after Xena had helped me onto Argo.

"Just head downstream and don't stop." She said and slapped the mare's rear to get her running. "Whoa!" I yelped trying to hang on. It was difficult. Argo was a fast runner. Every so often I made sure to check behind me. Both chariots seemed to be gaining on me with each glance, and I wished to the gods that Xena had not made me their objective. Argo and I were very far downstream when I saw Xena riding up close by in a chariot, which she had apparently taken by force. She was still behind the other chariot and she needed to catch up to me. "Xena this way!" I directed her. Just then Argo unexpectedly changed routs. "Never mind, this way!" I cried desperately. Then I looked behind me and saw that Xena was no longer there.

"Hold on, Gabrielle!" Xena called to me seeing my panicked expression. She had plunged out of the tall grass in her chariot. She had taken a short cut. Good thinking Xena! I leaned my head to the side to see her, but I began to slip off of Argo.

"Xena, I'm gonna fall!" I shouted. "Hurry!"

"Hold on, I'm coming." She assured me. Then she was right next to me. "Jump!" she commanded.

"Are you crazy?" I screamed.

"Jump!" she insisted once more.

"If I die, I'll never talk to you again!" I threatened foolishly.

"Jump, Gabrielle! Come on!" She was pleading with me now. "Jump!"

I could no longer take the pressure. I leaped off of Argo and into the chariot, but I did not land on my feet. Rubbing my bruised leg, I did not fully realize that I was still alive. I thought perhaps I was either riding in a chariot with Xena or I was riding in a chariot through Tartarus. Either way, I despised the feeling of it.

"You call that a jump?" Xena yelled, yanking me up by the scruff of my shirt.

"No, it was a frantic leap!" I yelled back. "Best I could do!" Just then, the second chariot rode up next to us, and the soldier closest to me tried to break the chain that connected our chariot to our horses. I opened my mouth to scream, but there was no sound. I had forgotten to breath first.

"Hold the reigns." Xena said, thrusting the reigns of the chariot into my sweaty palms. She searched her belt with her hands, and feeling nothing she looked down. When she looked back up at me, her expression made my heart stop. "I've lost my chakram!" she exclaimed, her blue eyes wide with shock.

"Is that supposed to be funny?" I shrieked. Suddenly, the soldier made to strike at her with his sword. She was fast enough to whip out her sword to defend herself, but just barely. I could not believe what was happening. I was steering a chariot, which might as well have had no driver at all, and Xena was busy fending off a mysterious attacker. I should not have looked away from the road in case there was an obstacle, but my gut told me to make sure that Xena was alright. Of course she was doing fine, I should have known. But as I looked over at Xena, I caught sight of the other soldier, who was steering their chariot. He was completely decked out from head to toe in chain mail armor, but there was no mistaking his face. It was Sphaerus. "You?" I exclaimed. Then I saw the warlord next to him, attacking Xena. He was much older and had similar facial features. I knew immediately who he was, but I just could not believe it. "That's your overbearing father?"

"Stay out of my way!" he ordered. I must have looked heartbroken because Xena picked up on it immediately, though she was quite busy defending herself against Sphaerus's father. I could tell that she was thinking quickly. The next thing I knew, she was breaking the connection between their horses and their chariot, which sent them hurtling off onto their backs. I looked on to see if Sphaerus had made it alright, but Xena was laughing with glee. None of us noticed a large log blocking our path.

We did not have time to react once we saw the log. Our horses made a sharp turn and we crashed against it. The two of us flew off of our unstable chariot and landed hard on our sides. We rolled a little ways until we were able to get a grip on the earth below us. I coughed into the dirt and Xena turned her face toward me. It was the death stare. "Don't tell me that's him." she blurted.

"Afraid so." I uttered in response. She stood up slowly, shaking her head. I staggered to my feet, feeling ashamed of myself.

"Remind me to talk to you sometime about your taste in men." she said sharply. As if my feelings could be hurt any more. Just then, Sphaerus and his father were running toward us, weapons drawn. Xena pushed me to get me to run out of their way, but Sphaerus cornered me in my defenseless state. His warlord father had blocked Xena from getting to me, but she was ready and on guard.

"Xena," sneered the warlord, "I've waited a long time for this moment."

"Have we ever met?" asked Xena looking about as confused as I was.

"It was the battle of Corinth," he growled, "You killed my son. You remember the name, Stentor?"

"Stentor?" Xena recalled the name, "He died trying to make peace." She said in protest.

"Not true," the warlord persisted, "he was a brave warrior and you stabbed him in the back."

"He came to me under a banner of peace," Xena confirmed, "his own men killed him."

"You'll pay for that foul lie." The warlord turned to his son, the man who I thought I had loved. "What are you waiting for?" he demanded. "Kill her!" He meant me. Sphaerus ambled forward, raising his sword to slaughter me.

"No," I pleaded, putting my hands up, as if it did any good, "this is it, Sphaerus." I said half begging, "This is your moment of choice." He stared at me, his expression a mixture of anger and sadness. My eyes pressed him to make the right choice despite his rage towards Xena.

The warlord grew impatient when Sphaerus did not butcher me on the spot, and he began a fight with his Xena himself. The two of us looked on as Xena demolished his strength. Her legs and arms acted as her sword, for she had dropped it when we were flung from our chariot. Even weaponless, she was still able to hold her own in a fight. "Father! Enough!" Sphaerus shouted after seeing all that he could handle. He ran in front of Xena, not to guard her, but to show the warlord that he was switching sides. "The killing stops here!"

"Get out of my way!" the warlord shouted aggressively at his son. Xena walked to my side while he was preoccupied. "I'll protect you." She said to me.

"No." Sphaerus stood his ground. "No one else has to die." He said. My heart soared with the joy of knowing that he really was being true to himself, but I couldn't help but wonder what changed his mind. Could he have finally gotten it into his head that his father had made up that whole story of his brother just to push him into helping him get rid of Xena?

"You're wrong." Said the warlord, brandishing his heavy sword. "At least one more has to die. And if it has to be my cowardly son, so be it." The man made to swipe at his son, but Sphaerus bravely fought back. "Peace is an illusion, coward." stated the warlord. "There's only war, death, victory, and vanquish. There's no compromise. Give up, you can't defeat me."

At this point I would have given the man a piece of my mind, even though I knew in my heart that there was really no point. People as evil and corrupt as Sphaerus's father can never be changed. His own son died under a banner of peace and there he was trying to play it off as though an innocent woman had murdered him in battle. For someone like him, that may have been considered the more honorable way to die. He just wanted an excuse to kill Xena, I was sure of it. Or perhaps the death of his son hardened him so much that he looked to blame anyone for his death. He could not admit that Stentor's own men had killed him. He was trying to make a bloodthirsty warlord out of Sphaerus to make up for where he supposedly failed in raising peaceful Stentor. Thankfully I was not given the opportunity to say what I wanted.

"Xena!" called an unfamiliar male voice. The two of us turned to see a middle-aged peasant man riding atop his horse. When he reached us, he quickly descended and handed Xena her chakram. "Here!" he said. I wondered who on earth that man could be and how he possibly could have happened upon Xena's chakram, but I paid more attention to Sphaerus's conversation with his father.

"No, you're right." Sphaerus admitted. "I can't, but I can still win." With that, he flung his sword to the ground. "I'm not gonna fight anymore, ever! My brother died for peace! I'm no better or worse than he!"

"I should have done this long ago." The warlord raised his sword ready to plunge it into Sphaerus when Xena threw her chakram and knocked his sword sideways. With a piercing cry, she flipped into battle. In a matter of seconds, she appeared between them in a blaze of glory with Sphaerus's sword in hand. Sphaerus and I stood together to watch her take him on, this time with weaponry. She fought bravely, and of course he was no match for her. She struck his stomach hard, kicked his chest with the heel of her boot, and sent him sprawling to the ground in agony. I scrutinized Xena in shock as she unremorsefully tossed the sword to the ground. I knew that she was capable of taking human life, but I had never witnessed her do it. The man on his back was gasping for air and his bloody hands clutched at his stomach. I never thought that I would have to see this side of Xena, but I forgave her for this one. That man made my skin crawl for planting such lies and messages of hate into Sphaerus's head. I figured Sphaerus must have been very selfless and good-natured to see through those messages and believe what lay in his heart.

As the warlord drew his last breaths, Sphaerus crouched beside him as any honorable son would. The dying man looked up into the still hazel eyes of his remaining child and whispered, "If you had done this, I would have died proud." Harsh last words. I half expected this to diminish Sphaerus's golden spirit, but it did not. In fact, he seemed glad to finally be rid of his dictatorial father.

After the warlord passed away, Sphaerus turned to the unfamiliar yet attractive peasant man standing beside Xena and his horse. Sphaerus said solemnly, "Call your people together again. No tricks. We will have peace."

On our way into the man's village, Xena explained everything to me. She told me that she had been shot by an arrow fired by Sphaerus whilst defending a peaceful village much like my own from Cycnus's men. Cycnus was the name of Sphaerus's warlord father. Sphaerus was the reason why Xena's return was so delayed. He shot her because she had saved a young boy from the falling timbers of a barn that his men had purposefully destroyed. I did not want to believe her, but I understood then why Sphaerus had seemed so uncertain and guilty when I brought up the subject of Xena in the tavern. He seemed even more uncomfortable when the subject of his father came up. I hoped that the only reason he attacked the village in the first place was because his father ordered him to do so, and not of his own free will.

While I waited for Xena at the inn, she was busy recuperating in the care of one of the village families, hence the man who we were riding with into town. Xena said that the man's name was Darius, and that he had removed the arrow from her side and treated her wound in his own home because it was his son who she had saved. The man was a widower and was raising three children on his own. With the addition of Xena, his house-hold became awfully full. I thought that Darius's actions toward Xena were generous and selfless, but that was not all. The village leader told Darius to make Xena leave because, like the men of my own village, he did not trust warriors. But Darius had insisted that he keep her there until she was fully healed. He accepted and cared for her because she'd saved his son, and for that he saw beyond her violent nature.

He reminded me a lot of myself and I was grateful to him in some ways for taking such care of my friend, but I felt saddened that I had been incapable of doing the same myself. I wished that Xena had taken me with her and let me take care of her instead of Darius. She seemed to have become very close to the family in the time that they spent together, and soon we would have to leave them. It would break her heart to say good-bye to the people that made her happy, but she would not have had to say good-bye to me. If I had been there to take care of her she would not have to be sad over letting them go, and I would not have to be sad over parting with Sphaerus. But perhaps it was better this way. Perhaps Xena, Darius, and Darius's children needed each other at the time. And just perhaps Xena could have used someone other than me to convince her that she had a good heart. Besides, I was sure Sphaerus and I were meant to cross paths, even though he turned out not my tree in the forest after all.

Sphaerus and I had only known each other for a couple of hours, yet he had become very special to me. I felt blessed that he came into my life right when the both of us needed some help getting our acts together. He reminded me a lot of Xena in the way that he was able to turn his life around. I was so proud of him for standing up to his father, even though it cost him his life, and I let him know so after the peace negotiations were made between Sphaerus's men and Darius's villagers.

I found him sitting alone by the fire place in Darius's farm house where the peace negotiations were taking place. I approached him somewhat timidly despite my yearning to embrace him. "Hey, stranger!" I said to get his attention. He got up to greet me immediately. "Hi. I, uh, understand you're leaving." He said. I could hear the hint of despair in his voice, and I was secretly pleased that he felt the same way I did. "Yeah. I wanted to say to you that, well that, I really don't know what to say to you." I sputtered, taking a seat by the fireplace. He joined me. "You, you know, you did a, a wonderful thing today. You saved a lot of people."

"I know he was a terrible man, but he was my father." Sphaerus admitted. I thought that he might have felt sorry for not living up to his father's expectations. "Do you remember what I said about making a choice?" I reminded him.

"I don't have any regrets." He assured me. That was what I wanted to hear.

Then there was an awkward silence. We had nothing more to say to one another. I looked around me and I saw that Xena was nearly finished saying her good-byes as well. "I have to go." I said and turned to leave.

"Gabrielle?" he stopped me, standing up.

"Yes?" I said happily turning to look him in the face. It seemed to intimidate him because he dropped his gaze immediately, as if what he was about to say would embarrass him. "Thanks." He said.

"No problem." I responded grinning from ear to ear, the blush refusing to leave my cheeks. I felt his eyes on my back as I left him standing alone by the fireplace.

"To prosperity!" "To the future!" I overheard the villagers shout gleefully as I made my way out of the farmhouse. It felt good to be leaving the village knowing that everything had been settled for its people. I advanced toward Argo, who stood exactly where we'd left her before. "Hey girl," I said taking her reigns. The two of us waited outside for Xena for a few minutes. I was beginning to feel that Argo was as much my horse as she was Xena's. After all, I had ridden her that afternoon, though I wasn't keen on going through that again any time soon. When I finally saw Xena exit Darius's abode, there was a look of sadness upon her face as I had expected there would be. "Are you alright?" I asked gently as she approached us.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Xena said seemingly distracted. She took Argo's reigns from me when Darius and his children peered out of their front door to watch us leave. Then she looked at me again and asked me a completely random question. "Do you ever miss your family?"

I was taken by surprise that she would ask about my family, but at the same time I was endeared. I thought of the night that I had spent alone at the inn and remembered how I missed my family. I had not given as much though to them since I began my travels with Xena and after she was gone, I did. "Sometimes, but not as much when I'm with you." I replied truthfully. I might have been mistaken, but at that moment I could have sworn I saw her half smile.

"So do you want me to drive?" I asked changing the subject.

"Not on your life. Not on my life." Xena said smirking.

"Hey!" I said putting my hands on my hips. Xena began to walk a little ways down the road and I walked beside her feeling strangely content with life.

"You sure you don't want to ride?" she asked knowing full well that my answer was a definite "no."

"Not till they make those things closer to the ground." I insisted. Once we had left Darius's village behind, I turned to Xena said, "I learned something really important today."

"That you can find goodness in unlikely places?" Xena guessed.

"Yes, and that I really, really hate chariots."

13


End file.
